Ford have claimed a record-breaking 100th consecutive points finish in the FIA World Rally Championship with the Focus RS World Rally Car. It became the first manufacturer since the launch of the championship in 1973 to reach a century of successive scores.
BP Ford World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished won the eighth round of the 2008 series while team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were second to seal Ford's century in style.
The remarkable scoring run began in January 2002 and the Focus RS WRC has since claimed points on surfaces as diverse as the smooth asphalt roads of Spain, treacherously slippery snow and ice in Sweden and rock-strewn gravel tracks in the mountains of Greece.
Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "The consistency required in achieving this record is remarkable given that the WRC is the toughest competition in motorsport for production-based cars. It has demanded an outstanding blend of speed, strength and reliability from the Focus RS World Rally Car as well as some sterling performances from the drivers behind the wheel.
"It's also a tribute to Malcolm Wilson and his team at M-Sport that has prepared and run the Focus RS WRC for all 100 rallies. I look forward to starting the second century in Finland in August," added Deans.
•   Eleven drivers contributed to the scoring run (number in brackets indicates number of scoring finishes): Mikko Hirvonen (43), Marcus Grönholm (29), Markko Märtin (28), François Duval (19), Toni Gardemeister (13), Roman Kresta (10), Colin McRae (9), Carlos Sainz (9), Jari-Matti Latvala (7), Janne Tuohino (2), Henning Solberg (1).
•   Thirteen crew combinations contributed to the record: Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya, Colin McRae / Nicky Grist, Markko Märtin / Michael Park, François Duval / Jaen-Marc Fortin, François Duval / Stéphane Prévot, Mikko Hirvonen / Jarmo Lehtinen, Janne Tuohino / Jukka Aho, Toni Gardemeister / Jakke Honkanen, Roman Kresta / Jan Tománek, Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud, Roman Kresta / Jan Možný, Marcus Grönholm / Timo Rautiainen and Jari-Matti Latvala/ Mikka Anttila.
•   Seven different driver nationalities contributed to the record: Finland, Estonia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Spain and Norway.
•   Ford has won 27 and gained 85 podium places during the 100 rallies.
•   The run began on the 2002 Rallye Monte Carlo when Carlos Sainz finished third and Colin McRae claimed fourth.
•   Ford reached its half-century on the Cyprus Rally in 2005.
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